Computing networks may be populated with servers and client computers. Servers are generally more powerful computers that provide common functions such as file sharing and Internet access to the client computers. Client computers may be fully functional computers, each having a processor, hard drive, CD ROM drive, floppy drive and system memory.
Recently, thin client computing devices have become been adopted by IT organizations. Compared to fully functional client computers, thin clients may have only a relatively small amount of system memory and a relatively slow processor. Further, many thin clients lack hard drives, CD ROM drives or floppy drives. Thin clients may contain their own micro operating system or may be connected to a network to boot an operating system or load application programs such as word processors or Internet browsers.
Thin clients provide several advantages over fully functional client computers. Because thin clients have fewer moving parts, they are may be more reliable than their fully functional client computers. For example, many thin clients do not have their own hard drive. Because the hard drive is one of the most likely computer components to fail, the lack of a hard drive accounts for a significant increase in the reliability of a thin client computer compared to a fully functional client computer with its own hard drive.
The high reliability of thin clients makes them potentially desirable for use in a networked environment. Network maintenance costs are a significant expense in large network environments and companies and other organizations spend a large amount of resources to reduce those costs. Thin clients reduce networking costs and increase reliability by accessing data and applications stored on servers and other network resources rather than storing applications and data on a locally installed hard drive.
In a typical thin client networked environment, thin clients are connected over a network to a centralized server. The thin client computer communicates with the centralized server via a multi-user terminal server application program. The centralized server is responsible for providing a virtualized operating system for the thin clients that are connected to it. Additionally, the centralized server may supply application programs such as, e.g., word processing or Internet browsing to the thin clients as needed. A user's data such as, e.g., document files, spreadsheets and Internet favorites, may be stored on the centralized server or on a network storage device. Thus, when a thin client breaks, it may be easily removed and replaced without the need to restore the user's programs and data such as with a traditional fully functional client computer.
Blade servers are a recent development in the field of network computing. Blade servers are dense, low power blade computers that are designed to provide a high level of computing power in a relatively small space. Blade computers may employ low power components such a low power processors and hard drives in a relatively small package or form factor. In some applications hundreds of blade computers may be mounted in a single server rack.